 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-06-20 00:16
I'm always hearing that if you swab out your mouthpiece you run the risk of prematurely wearing it out. How realistic a concern is this? It seems that a gentle passing of a silk swab would hardly wear out a piece of hard rubber. Opinions?
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-06-20 00:49
Always swab out the mouthpiece. I don't know where you heard that information from, but that's just a silly idea.
Your swab should however not pull too hard through the mouthpiece, and if it does, switch swabs, or go halfway in, and then back out. But swabbing is hygienic and helpful to tone and response.
Drew S.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2012-06-20 01:05
From my experience studying, making, refacing mouthpieces for many years, since the late 1970's you do run the risk of the facing changing ever so slightly. The rails can become uneven, although my feeling is putting and taking off reeds are far more likely to change the rails. Also you shouldn't tighten your ligature too forcefully. This will surely change the rails. The rails of a mouthpiece can change so slightly, just a 1/2 thousandth of an inch can make a mouthpiece not play as well as it should. Don't use the same cloth as the one to swab the rest of the clarinet, because thats most likely too thick. A 1/2 thousandth of an inch is somewhere around 4 to 6 times thinner then a human hair. Black hair is usually the thickest and light blond hair is pretty thin. At all costs avoid hitting the rails with at metal and force the swab so tightly that it hits the facing.
With silk, as long as it doesn't jam up inside the bore or through the front part of your MP you will be just fine. So make sure the cloth is thin enough to pass through the MP without effort.
If you wish to wash the mouthpiece don't use hot or cold water. Rod rubber has a greater chance of warping. Plastic or crystal won't change much because the molding techniques require a higher temperature. Probably 300 - 1500 degrees for assorted plastics to about 3000 degrees for crystal. Rod rubber is not molded into mouthpieces.
It's a good idea to have the facings of rod rubber checked periodically, because the MP facings do change and rod rubber is a softer material. Since your mouthpieces don't change very much you won't feel the changes. However if you have the MP refaced you will feel the difference right away, providing the rails are warped.
Rod rubber is just a name for the type of rubber and it can vary in hardness and density from the suppliers.
Hope this makes sense. If not, post your questions.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2012-06-25 06:07)
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2012-06-20 01:13
Drop the weight *carefully* through the tenon end and make sure it doesn't hit the rails - especially the tip rail - on its way out. Then carefully pull the swab through. In my opinion, unsupported by anything but my own anecdotal experience over 50+ years, the only real danger is chipping a rail with the weight.
Karl
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2012-06-20 01:52
I swab the mouthpiece every time.
My method:
I use a microfibre clarinet swab, cut down (maintaining the original diamond shape), with the weight REMOVED, so there is no danger of chipping.
I've never had a problem.
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: Maestro_6
Date: 2012-06-20 02:24
The Gigliotti silk swab is wonderful for swabbing the clarinet and the mouthpiece! With this swab, there is a tail on the back of the swab that you can put through the mouthpiece without risk of the weight distorting the interior or facing. I just bring the swab probably 1/4 or 1/3 of the way through the mouthpiece and back out, and everything works fine! Nevertheless, I find it very necessary to swab the mouthpiece after use.
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2012-06-20 03:46
I still prefer Qtips to swabs but if I'm caught without one I will take the silk part of my swab and gently put it through the mp. I really really don't like using the cord because I'm too leery of the cord rubbing the facing...Old habits die hard I guess.
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Author: Maestro_6
Date: 2012-06-20 07:44
I tried using Q-tips to clean the inside of an older mouthpiece once, and I experienced a slight decrease in overall response. The Q-tip was used fairly gentle, too. I'm still all for a light silk swab! The Gigliotti Silk Swab (and many other fine silk swabs) should not harm a mouthpiece in any way as long as you watch what you're doing and don't jam the whole swab through the bore.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-06-20 09:52
> I tried using Q-tips to clean the inside of an older mouthpiece once, and I
> experienced a slight decrease in overall response.
Really?
I mean, a reed, or the ligature, or the ligature cap, let alone the pressure from jaws and teeth is a zillion times stronger than the touch of a q-tip...
--
Ben
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Author: LesleyM
Date: 2012-06-20 13:14
Well, I must just have been very lucky. I clean my mouthpiece regularly, swab it after playing and disinfect weekly. After a series of throat infections I got into the habit of dunking the whole thing in warm water with either a denture hygene tablet disolved in or with milton baby bottle sanitiser.
The mouthpieces have all performed well for years (crystal and plastic alike). I did notice once notice an other rubber mouthpiece changed colour during cleaning and tuend a bit green but I'd rather have that than soemthing growing inside.... This is the one drawback of a crystal mouthpiece, you can see all the gunk inside......tictactux wrote:
> > I tried using Q-tips to clean the inside of an older
> mouthpiece once, and I
> > experienced a slight decrease in overall response.
>
> Really?
>
> I mean, a reed, or the ligature, or the ligature cap, let alone
> the pressure from jaws and teeth is a zillion times stronger
> than the touch of a q-tip...
>
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Author: Maestro_6
Date: 2012-06-20 18:14
tictactux wrote:
> > Really?
> >
> > I mean, a reed, or the ligature, or the ligature cap, let
> alone
> > the pressure from jaws and teeth is a zillion times stronger
> > than the touch of a q-tip...
The Q-tip was meant to eliminate calcium deposits I found on the inside of the mouthpiece. It was used fairly light, but I remember just a slight difference. Not nearly as much of a difference as those big, hard-bristle mouthpiece brushes that can gouge the baffle...
However, I definitely notice the gradual differences from ligature, jaw pressure, etc. as well.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-06-20 18:22
A piece of stiff plastic covered garden wire can be fixed to a small swab and used for the mouthpiece. The wire allows you to control the swab as it exits the windway and removes any risk of chipping the rails as a weight could do.
Just don't pull the swab over the tip or side rails.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2012-06-20 21:44
I always swab by MP with my swab, I pull it through from the bottom and over the opening, not the facing of the mouthpiece. If you use a soft swab, silk seems best, you would have to swab a zillion times to notice any difference. That's my opinion at least. ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: BobD
Date: 2012-06-20 22:36
I think that a short exposure to running warm tap water with only an occasional silk swab run through is adequate. Q-Tips are made from cotton which is relatively rough compared to silk. I think there is way too much concern about the subject.
Bob Draznik
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Author: mihalis
Date: 2012-06-20 23:04
> I tried using Q-tips to clean the inside of an older mouthpiece once, and I
> experienced a slight decrease in overall response.
>>Really?
>>I mean, a reed, or the ligature, or the ligature cap, let alone the pressure >>from jaws and teeth is a zillion times stronger than the touch of a q-tip...
>>Ben
I was painting the room and a drop of paint fell on the mouthpiece cup.
Oh boy, my mouthpiece sounded completely different. .
Mike.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2012-06-21 03:44
Not swabbing the mouthpiece is just as important as swabbing the mouthpiece.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-06-21 07:25
> The Q-tip was meant to eliminate calcium deposits I found on the inside of
> the mouthpiece. It was used fairly light, but I remember just a slight
> difference.
Wouldn't you think this is the effect of the calcium deposits no longer there rather than the direct effect of the Q-tip?
I agree with Bob - too much concern about the subject. As long as one doesn't go berserk with the rag, or the mouthpiece...
--
Ben
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